My Brother Jack: George Johnston

David and Jack Meredith grow up in a patriotic suburban Melbourne household during the First World War, and go on to lead lives that could not be more different. Through the story of the two brothers, Johnston created an enduring exploration of two Australian myths: that of the man who loses his soul as he gains worldly success, and that of the tough, honest Aussie battler, whose greatest ambition is to serve his country during the war. The story follows the boys from childhood, when their virtually unremembered parents - a sapper and an army nurse - return from World War I to resume their humdrum life in suburban Melbourne, until their own adolescence and maturity as they are faced with World War II. Partly autobiographical.